The Game Developers Conference is changing the course of its original (potentially risky) plan to host an in-person / digital hybrid event in 2021. According to an announcement on Thursday, GDC 2021 will be fully digital and divided into three separate events for better and more safely accommodate the networks, game showcases and workshops and instructional panels for which the event is known.
The series of events will begin with the GDC Masterclass, a collection of virtual workshops and training for developers that will take place on the 4th and 5th of March. The GDC Showcase, which will be open to the public and free of charge, will take place from March 15th to 19th, presenting networking and lectures in “a new range of content and formats”. Finally, GDC 2021 itself will take place during the week of July 19 as an event geared towards business and education. The Independent Games Festival (IGF) will also take place that week on July 21st.
Last year’s GDC was postponed to summer and held digitally, renamed GDC Summer. Maintaining digital events in 2021 ensures that the conference will not become a potential event to overcome COVID-19, a concern that did not stop this year’s Mobile World Congress from moving forward as a face-to-face convention.
Another added benefit of going digital is that it could make GDC 2021 much more affordable. Participating in GDC in recent years has been prohibitively expensive for some independent developers, even before including the cost of a week in San Francisco. A digital event should allow more people to participate without travel expenses.